Iron Outcast
by smokepelt
Summary: Post-Iron Knight. Harmony Nightshade is neither fey nor mortal, living in the shadows of both. Do not be fooled by names; she can leave absolute chaos in her wake. But when a young faery boy catches her eye, will she turn down the darkness inside her? "Cloaking was easy. Running away was easy. Killing was easy... Accepting my fate was another matter." -excerpt, Ch. 1
1. Crashing Elysium

**I own none of the original.**

Harmony's POV

The glass shattered, sending shards flying. I gazed at my bloody, tearstained face in the broken mirror. Faeries and humans alike would come running from the noise I had made. One of the fey might like the dead human on the sidewalk. I left everything behind, fading into mist and shadow. Cloaking was easy. Running away was easy. _Killing _was easy.

Accepting my fate was another matter.

My name… I hadn't used my name in so long that I had forgotten. But I had not gone unforgotten. Everyone knew of the chaos I could leave in my wake. I was a hero, a criminal, a living weapon.

I was Harmony.

Having my name cross my mind, I stopped under a willow tree. Every time! A faery would have disappeared. A human would have gone mad. A half-breed would have been somewhere in-between. The only thing: _I was none! _

Opening trods to the Nevernever was not too difficult, although Faery never wanted me in its midst. Technically I should not exist, whatever I am.

Leaning my head back, I saw a raven with bright green eyes staring down at me. My blood turned cold.

Feathers rained down on me. Robin Goodfellow regarded me curiously. Exhaustion shadowed his gaze. "Harmony, I haven't seen you in a while," he commented.

I scowled. "What's the matter, Goodfellow? Didn't Oberon welcome you back after Meghan became Iron Queen?" He opened his mouth, but I rushed on: "That was a few decades ago. What happened?"

"Ash got a soul," Puck muttered. "I gave up trying to be with Meghan. He made her happy." He did not smirk once in the minute we talked.

"What about… Kierran? You, Ash, and the Iron prince hunt in the wyldwood, don't you?"

This received a wry smile. "I haven't been to Faery since Ash returned. I've just been sightseeing." His full smirk appeared, making me wince. "All the while on my travel, there's a clever little murderess running amok."

Instinctively, my eyes narrowed. "I can kill you next," I warned.

Puck sobered. "Do you have a place to stay? I can take you to Lea's," he offered, green depths glowing.

"No. Plus I think _you _need the place to stay, raven-boy. My own trod," I explained as I drew a symbol in the air. Puck kept close to me, my realm pricking fear in him as it did all new visitors. Granted, they were either killed or ended up as my servants, but Goodfellow was an exception. "You're safer here."

"Maybe not," he breathed skeptically. He perked up when he smelled food. Brownies were moving in the kitchen wing. I nudged him with my shoulder, smiling slightly. Puck used to be a good friend to me. "How did you get your own realm? There are only the Nevernever, Between, and mortal worlds… and now yours, apparently."

I looked up from sharpening my Japanese tsurugi. There were weapons and trods throughout my world. Puck swallowed a mouthful of food. "How did I survive when I'm nothing?" I growled.

His unusually serious expression softened. "You know damn well you're not nothing," he replied, less angrily than I would have expected. "Ari, Ash, and I proved that time and time again. If Meghan knew you, I'm sure she would say the same, and Kierran."

"When's Elysium?" I needed the prankster back. This compassionate side was freaky.

Just as I expected, Goodfellow returned, smirk and all. "Tonight. What are you planning, not-so-Harmony?" His eyes gleamed with vicious anticipation.

I grinned devilishly.

###

"Thanks," I told the human tailor I kept around. Her confused face lightened at my praise; she dipped her head slightly as I stood and exited her cottage.

A smile played at his lips when Puck saw me. Both of us had battle/hunting gear specially designed to look like formal attire. (I would never wear a real, true dress.) My partner-in-crime turned his smile into a sneer when I opened a trod into the Seelie territory. I heard him take a breath. "Ready?"

"Ask yourself," I answered. "You need to know."

"If needed" – he flashed one of the daggers he always had – "I won't let them near you."

The combined scent of frost, earth, and metal hung heavy in the air. All three Courts had joined together in Summer not too long ago. Puck exchanged an excited glance with me. Elysium was a time for peace – but plenty of harmless pranks would be pulled. Robin Goodfellow and Harmony Nightshade would be included in those alleged festivities.

"Lord Pointy Ears," Puck murmured, his gaze fixed on Oberon. I took in the whole table: Oberon, Titania, Mab, Ash, Meghan, and Kierran. Puck and I slipped into the throng of fey unnoticed. "This should be fun."

I rolled my eyes. "Shh," I hissed, eyeing the courtyard.

A goblin looked our way, curiosity and hunger etched on its face. I returned his look with a death glare. Puck's green gaze shone with amusement and then pain when I elbowed him. Glamour radiated around all of the faeries. Energy spiked near the Royal Table, and I suddenly had a hard time keeping my attention off it.

_Kierran is the most powerful faery ever. _

Puck nudged me back to reality and nodded to a small table. Glittering golden orbs peered out of nothingness at us: Grimalkin. The rest of his body appeared. He flicked his tail to signal us.

"Harmony," he purred. "What bring you to Faery?" When I opened my mouth, he added, "Don't give me rubbish about Elysium." Then he snorted in cat laughter. "A young murderess at a peaceful gathering? It is barely Goodfellow's style, let alone yours."

I cringed inwardly. Just like I was keeping up with the Nevernever, all of Faery was keeping up with me. Grim flattened his ears abruptly and vanished. Puck stiffened, snaking his arm around me protectively. Neither of us was truly supposed to be here.

"Goodfellow, who have you corrupted now?"

Puck relaxed but kept his hold on me. Any other fey would have potentially dangerous. "Nice to see you, too, ice-boy." He turned to me.

Ash's silver eyes widened. "Harmony?"

"It's me," I confirmed with a small, tight smile. "By the way, Grim, I know you're still there." The gray tom reappeared with narrowed eyes.

"You are the most fatally dangerous being in history, yet you do not know who or what you really are."

I stared at the Summer courtyard in an attempt to ignore him. Kierran was watching his father and caught my eye; he cocked an eyebrow. Ash followed my gaze, his expression an unreadable mask. I could still sense the amusement coming off him in waves. Kierran looked away when I turned back to the three faeries waiting.

"I know where I belong, at least."

Grimalkin kinked his tail over his back. "Do you?"

"How do you know so much about me?" I snapped, my violent side raising its head.

Ash moved to my other side to help Puck restrain me if needed. Grimalkin didn't even blink. "Even _you _wouldn't break tradition," he remarked. "And to answer your rather rude question: I am a cat."

My mind worked rapidly to find a way to wrench away from them. Instinctively, I went limp, but they knew me better than to actually release me. The two of them tightened their grips. Briefly I wondered how no one could notice what was happening – until, in my haze of rage, I recalled this was Elysium. Chaos was everywhere.

Chaos!

Summoning my odd mix of glamour (which I did not know how I had come by), I broke away from Ash and Puck, unleashing the power forcefully.

Hell broke loose.


	2. Making Promises

**I own none of the original.**

Kierran's POV

I knew something was wrong when Father stiffened. My connection with glamour allowed me to sense others when they used their own. Never had I sensed such glamour before. I knew there was only one source.

Harmony.

Another thought came to mind – _She needs me. _

What's worse: I always followed my instincts. I had no clue how a murderess would need help, but I weaved through the crowd nonetheless. Everything was in chaos; I was somewhat oblivious. Harmony had lost Puck and my father. Soon the Royal Table would have to get involved with a "prank gone awry." This was no prank. I had to find her first.

"Kierran?"

Blinking the veil of power from my eyes, I grabbed her wrist and led her toward the border and the wyldwood. "We need to get you out of here," I observed.

Surprisingly, she made no resistance and easily kept pace with me. We came to a halt when faced with a line of goblins. She looked at me sharply. "Cover me."

My mind barely registered her sudden change in clothing as well as her drawing a symbol. I met the goblins with a magic-covered silver/steel blade. They screeched as my sword touched them. _No violence, _I reminded myself at a pang of guilt. _This is for self-defense. _Before I could dwell on the feeling, I was pulled backward.

"Lockdown!" exclaimed Harmony, retracing the pattern. Her dark eyes blazed. "No one gets in or out without my consent."

"Of where?" I wondered aloud.

Harmony blinked, suddenly appearing weak. "My home," she answered quietly. A breeze wafted around us.

Grief overshadowed that fearless anger. I nearly forgot that she could kill without much thought and had to fight the urge to touch her again. The only reason I was so drawn to her was because her glamour powerfully rivaled my own – even though I could control mine better. Harmony stared at nothing. I had no words of comfort.

"Did Ash ever tell you about mortals?"

The silence broken, I fell into step beside Harmony as she turned away. We headed in the direction of what I assumed to be her house. "I have heard of them," I replied cautiously.

She sneered, her gaze clouded and distant. "We can hide among them. I have a quest to finish as well." She shook her head, refocusing on her realm and, slowly, me.

"Quest?"

"A little intrigued, are we?" she commented. "Have you ever been away from the Iron Court?"

Uncomfortable, I shifted on my feet. "Other than Elysium," I muttered.

Triumph briefly flickered on her face. It was gone almost immediately. "Lucky for you, then, that we need a human's assistance. I have worked with her now and then – she can see our kind when others can't. She's kind of a prophetess."

"You mean Celeste?" I blurted.

Harmony blinked. She nodded tersely and motioned to one of the humans living here. I followed miserably, passing several rooms. She was in solitude again, and it was because of me. I had no clue why I cared so much, but I still did. She needed me; I wanted to help. But she wouldn't let me.

"Alert Celeste that we will arrive shortly. I must test my new guard first." Power seemed to radiate from Harmony when she picked up a human-made sword. I sized her up; she was about as skilled as I, from what I had seen. "Scared yet?"

"Never."

Our practice bout became a deadly dance, one where there was no victor. Harmony tossed her sword, and another dazed human caught it with its sheath. I returned mine to my belt, worried about Harmony's steely exterior. She had so many humans and faeries that wanted to take care of her… It was obvious. Yet she never seemed to want to let anyone in. When she used glamour, she truly became a living weapon, but my own cried out to join. I knew nothing of love, nor did I want to. She had me a prisoner in her realm, the necessary backup.

Abruptly, she doubled over with pain. "Puck!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "He's trying to get in!"

"Then we won't let him." I could tell she was drained and completely exhausted. Flooding my power into hers, I strengthened the protective spell. Harmony gasped when our combined use of glamour brushed her skin, visibly rejuvenating her. I let it wash over me, pure and whole. One and the same.

"You don't have to stay with me, you know," she rasped. "You can let them find me if you want."

With her so weak, the desire to protect her grew stronger. I shook my head. "You said you have a quest to finish. I will help you with it."

"Why?" She sounded stunned, as if she wanted to get rid of me but couldn't.

Magic danced around us, making my mouth twitch. I gave a small smile. "Can't you feel it?" Harmony closed her eyes; I sensed her draw in more strength. She reopened them, her gaze brighter. "We should be stronger together. Therefore…" I hesitated, wondering if what I was about to do was right. "I promise not to leave your side in the mortal world unless you wish it." Like that, I was bound to her.

Harmony's eyes widened. They flashed with anger. "Ash is going to kill me," she growled. I glared at her; why would she think I would allow anyone, let alone my father, harm her? She sighed, leaning heavily against the wall. I waited for her to continue. "Okay, Kierran. Let me get some sleep and we can leave. Do you think you can handle lockdown on your own?" she checked wearily.

"I pulled you out of Elysium," I reminded her gently. "I don't think anyone could get passed me now."

_Please, _I thought as she headed for her room. _Don't let me ruin this for Harmony… or for myself. _


	3. Wandering Questions

**I own none of the original.**

Harmony's POV

_I shook with fear and frustration as I gazed at my newest opponent. For a dream, my subconscious had created an arena of sorts that targeted any and all of my weaknesses. I was up against the last fighter, which showed how much I could battle and not get too hurt. Like I said, though, my subconscious targeted each of my weaknesses. This last one was especially hard._

_Sizing him up, I lunged. Abruptly, the scene changed, and I slammed into what seemed to be a glass wall. _A viewing room, _I thought, my eyes sweeping over the landscape. It was a manmade garden, the pots of fake plants placed beside the holders of real. The garden shriveled and died – even the fake. The wyldwood replaced it, but still I was in that glass prison. _Kierran? _I wondered, tracking his every move. He mirrored his father perfectly._

_If this was a hunt, he would have weapons. No, he was searching for something else, I decided. _

Before I could find out what the dream could mean, I woke up. Kierran's presence held strong outside the door. I closed my eyes and checked on the lockdown field. My eyes snapped open with surprise to find it just as powerful, if not more, as my own. Kierran really did use the same glamour as me.

I sighed. _I hope Celeste can tell us what we need to know! _As I stood, my clothes changed into my usual casual/battle mix.

"Harmony, are you okay?"

Walking out to join him, I nodded. "As fine as I'll ever be," I answered, like I did whenever someone had the chance to ask me.

Purposely, his shoulder brushed mine. I looked sharply at him. "What's wrong?" he inquired, holding my gaze calmly.

"Nothing," was what a human would say. Part faery or whatever I was, I still could not lie, no matter how badly I wanted. Instead I asked, "What do you mean?"

"I know something is upsetting you. What's wrong?"

I turned away. "It's unnerving to think that… Never mind." At least I could twist the truth to the point where it was too confusing. Or keep it to myself entirely.

Kierran reached for my wrist, turning me back to him. "Is it the promise? You can release me from it whenever you want… but I would probably just follow you anyway."

"No… well, not entirely. It's just–" I sighed and shook my head.

His fingers threaded through mine. "It doesn't matter if you create harmony or chaos. It just depends on _you_." He appeared surprised to hear himself say that, but he did not move away.

Warmth flowed through my veins; I wondered how he could have such a calming effect. Not even Puck and Ash, whom I had known forever, could keep me at bay. Usually I would have had to make a kill by now in order to maintain whatever sanity I held. Yet Kierran almost instantly snuffed out that flame and replaced it with another spark. Could he hold the difference between harmony and chaos for me? Would he be the savior that some people always talked about?

I was too puzzled to fully process anything, and he seemed content to let the silence grow. Looking down at our clasped hands, I arched an eyebrow. What had happened to the ruthless murderess? Who was this new being?

Pulling me with him through a portal I hadn't notice him open, he said, "C'mon. Lockdown is over." We melted into the crowd of New York City, using glamour to seem like one of them.

My frozen state of shock disappeared. "Don't let me kill any of them," I whispered, nodding to the people milling about around us.

He smiled. "You'd have to break free of me first." He squeezed my hand.

Feeling lighter without the weight of the urge to kill, I began to look for Celeste.


	4. Finding Psychics

**I own none of the original.**

Kierran's POV

Harmony twisted a dagger that was on her belt with her free hand. She looked ready to murder anything and anyone that stood in her way. I kept pace with her, my fingers locked around hers. I hoped we would find Celeste soon and get out of this crowd.

Someone bumped into me on the crowded walk. "Watch it," he snapped.

I glared at him, but it was Harmony who spoke. "You watch it, bastard," she growled before pulling me at an even faster pace. "She's not on this street. We have to hurry – I want to find her today."

"Are all mortals that rude?" I wondered aloud.

Shaking her head, she sighed. "No. But New York isn't known for its hospitality. Talent, maybe, but not kindness." She slowed on an emptier street. "Faeries have been here recently." Her eyes seemed to brighten as she scanned the sides of the road. "Maybe Celeste is here, too." I knew nothing of what we were looking for, so I watched for other faeries instead. They would either cause trouble or signal the Royal Council, Harmony had told me. We had to kill their chances of finding us, or kill them completely in the process. "Nothing," she breathed sadly.

"We'll find her."

Another human walking turned slightly and stopped. "Who are you looking for?"

"Lisa Whitefield," Harmony answered. _That's her name with the humans, _she explained silently to me. _She doesn't like using "Celeste" with all the stereotyping and suspicions. _

"Head toward Broadway, and you'll see her sign on the side of the road. She's never open, though, so you might want to have a backup plan."

I shrugged. "If she remembers that we're coming, she'll be there," I responded calmly. I turned away and followed Harmony after she thanked the human. She used "thank you" so freely, as if they knew nothing of just how far bargains and promises and gratitude went. Apparently I had a lot to learn. "Let me guess. She has the place glamoured to always be closed," I remarked.

"Of course," Harmony confirmed. "Mortals always came to her with superstitions and a lot of other nonsense we don't have to deal with as Fair Folk. She probably found or made a clearing in a little grove that humans see as more buildings and placed her home in that woodland. Then she glamoured it all to be inconspicuous to the untrained eye," she finishes. "Celeste is a good magic worker. If warlocks exist, and I'm not saying they do, she'd be one of them."

"Warlocks?"

Harmony rolled her eyes. "Is there anything Ash taught you?" she asked, laughter written on her face.

"Looks like we both have stories to tell later," I observed, smiling. "Before you kill any tourist at Broadway, let's find Celeste and get inside."

She opened her mouth to speak, shocked, and then rethought it. I had more surprises than she knew, and I would keep it that way for as long as I could. First my glamour, and then how easily I understood. Abruptly I knew why she wanted to find Celeste _today: _She did not want to be caught off-guard with me again. She was unused to it, yet here I was seemingly doing everything in my power to do just that.

"Celeste!" she called into the clearing, staying hidden in the shadows. Both of us were comfortable when we were hidden. "Don't make me say my name out loud!"

An elderly woman poked her head out of the front door. She scanned the edges of the forest surrounding her home until her eyes landed on us. "My two visitors," she greeted with a surprisingly toothy smile. "Come in, come in."

"Finally!" she exclaimed, running like a blur from the woodland into the house. I followed suit. Secrecy was vital.

"What brings you here, Harmony?"

"Prince Kierran and I were wondering…"

**I'll continue that sentence in the next chapter. Not much of a cliffy, but I needed to keep it short to save the best stuff for the next update. Review or PM me with input. **


	5. Confusing Destinies

**I own none of the original. Unfortunately, this is another short chapter.**

Celeste's POV

"Prince Kierran and I were wondering about our glamour," Harmony informed, her eyes narrowed. She was on alert – but then, she always was. "I figured you might know a thing or two."

I smiled once more. "I know plenty, my dear. About you faeries, about mundane humans, about a lot of things," I reminded her at her glare. "Now, about your glamour… Do you know who you are?"

"Harmony Nightshade," she answered automatically, looking confused.

Rolling my eyes, I turned to the Iron Prince. "Kierran, your glamour has a very easy explanation. Meghan is half-Summer and half-Iron. Joined with Ash, who was formerly the Winter Prince, you gained the magic of all three Courts." He nodded in understanding. "As for you, my dear," I continued, fixing my gaze on Harmony. Bewilderment showed plainly on her face. "You know what you are but not who you are. I could tell you, of course, but what's the fun in that?" I refilled her tea, adding something extra to it without her knowing.

"What do you mean, 'who I am'?" she asked. "I already told you!"

"No," Kierran replied quietly. She whirled on him. "You told her _what_ you are." He lifted his gaze to meet mine. "Not _who_ you are."

I blinked in approval at him. "You have much to learn, my prince, but this is a quality no one can ever teach you. Finding light in the darkness." I nodded slowly, letting my words soak in.

"Maybe we shouldn't have come here." Harmony got to her feet.

My voice dropped to a low growl. "Sit down."

Her eyes blazed with anger's flames when she looked at me again. She wanted a fight, but I already sensed that. Kierran appeared conflicted between his promise and his manners. A jolt ran through him, one I knew was full of magic in order to keep him on Harmony's side. "You do not tell us what to do, old witch." Her hand reached for Kierran's wrist and was quickly burned in the heating air.

Summer glamour danced between her and Kierran. "I might have made a promise, but you have no right to treat anyone like a slave!" he snapped, his eyes fiery ice chips.

"Kierran!" she exclaimed angrily. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Stopping you from doing something _else_ you'll regret," I commented before he could respond. He bowed his head, as if trying to control his emotions as well as avoid further confrontation. Love was a dangerous thing. Although he had not fallen yet, he was on the path toward that cliff. "Go rest up, dear. You know what room."

With a huff, she complied, her shoulders stiff as she walked away. My potion was already in effect.

Kierran stared at me. "You worked with her often, I assume?" he asked, a new respect on his face.

"She can get a little out of hand." I shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. I might look like an old lady, but I know how to fight just as much as the two of you young'uns." I glanced at the sheath propped against his chair. "Ash taught you about technique and everything, didn't he? Did he ever share with you who Robin Goodfellow is?"

"Mother mentioned it. Father never brought it up."

"Don't speak so formally, child. To blend in with humans, you must act like one." Pointedly, I turned my back on the hallway Harmony went down. "Even that young murderess knows how to camouflage herself. But do not let a seductress' tricks ensnare you. Certain beauty may hide a hideous beast."

From there, I proceeded to inform him about mortals, their habits, and much more, all of which I related to how he would better blend in.

_Poor fool, _I thought as I sent him to catch up on sleep as well. _Harmony doesn't know what forces she is messing with. Maybe Kierran will be the one to fix her. _


	6. Hearing Prophecy

**So. I just read the summary for **_**Iron's Prophecy. **_**(Yes, **_**just, **_**as in within the past day.) Should I be concerned that my thoughts are starting to run parallel to Julie Kagawa's? Here, for those who don't know/understand:**

_**Meghan Chase is finally getting used to being the Iron Queen, ruler of the Iron Fey. Her life may be strange, but with former Winter prince Ash by her side at last, she wouldn't have it any other way.**_

_**But when they travel to the Summer and Winter courts' gathering for Elysium, the oracle from Meghan's past returns with a dire prophecy: "What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them." Now Meghan faces a devastating choice that may determine the future of all fey—and her and Ash's unborn child…**_

**Anyway, I'm having a lot of fun with this story. If any of you have any ideas, feel free to leave them in a review or for… safer measures, PM me. **

**I own none of the original.**

Harmony's POV

_Puck and Ash were comforting a distraught Meghan, who had lost the exterior of Iron Queen when the Royal Council realized Prince Kierran were missing. I watched the two friends-turned-enemies-turned-allies (or whatever they were at this point) help try to bring her out of her misery. To my surprise, even the prankster, who seemed to always cheer people up – much to my own dismay at times – could not stop her grief. But something else was clouding her thoughts, I knew, while I had no ways of getting into her head from a dream._

_Oh, wait. I did._

_The prophecy rang in her head: "What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them." It was from before Kierran was born. She'd thought that her troubles with it were over, but now that her son had vanished into thin air, she couldn't help but wonder if it was still in effect._

_I tapped into Puck's mind. Relieved to find he had no intentions on giving me away, I switched to Ash and discovered the same. They both felt guilty at keeping secrets from Meghan, but they had decided together to see where this would lead. Of course, they both knew the prophecy yet had no clue it plagued their friend now. _

Waking up, I smiled slightly to myself. Celeste's potion had done me a favor as well. I was glad that, for once, she had gone behind my back.

She and Kierran were in her kitchen. I joined them with a stoic expression, not wanting to let on to my discoveries. "Sleep well, dear?" Celeste inquired with a knowing glint to her eyes.

I pretended to glare at her. "I would've felt better without the potion, but anyway" – I smiled innocently – "thanks."

"I've known you for a while, Harmony. You sometimes _asked _for my potions," she reminded me.

A pang of grief pierced my heart. "Don't," I growled, hiding how much her comment hurt. That was not a topic I wanted to discuss, especially not in front of Kierran.

Curiosity shone in his eyes as he left it alone. "We can hide out here in the mortal world and/or in the Between. Celeste helped me contact Leansidhe and ask her if we could 'visit.' When she heard the Iron Prince was with the murderess, she had a great deal to ask." Kierran shrugged. "I guess we have some questions to answer when we go there."

"Lea is one of the sneakiest faeries I know, aside from Grim." I shook my head at him, although inwardly I was proud of his thinking ahead.

"The Cait Sith and the Dark Muse," Celeste observed. "Topped with a little Nightshade. Seems you have your hands full, my prince."

I scowled at my old partner. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," I responded with such a caustic note it was a wonder my voice didn't burn my throat. "We should really get going if we want to keep ourselves hidden. It was a pleasure seeing you again," I concluded with a smile full of knives.

She returned the forced-friendly gesture. "I'm sure it was. Stop by if you need an extra place to say," she offered with a genuine smile. She bowed slightly to me and Kierran (mostly Kierran) before escorting us to the door. "While you are in my clearing, I suggest you open a portal to the Between. It's less likely anybody will pick up traces of your glamour through mine. And tell Lea I would like to have a word with her!" she called after us.

Kierran held out his hand, palm up. "Shall we?" he inquired with a certain gleam to his eyes.

"Who are you and what have you done with the Iron Prince?" I teased, surprised at the lightness of my heart and even more shocked when I took his hand. "Let's see if the Between is open for us after all."

It was, of course. The Dark Muse was also waiting, several half-breeds sitting along the walls. I felt magic pouring off the art in her home. Kierran inhaled sharply, sensing the same things I was. I had been here before, but I had been with Puck; the unique sensations were no less breathtaking. Lea examined her perfect nails before looking at us hungrily. Abruptly I wondered if she would know anything about the two of us.

I also realized that any questions of mine would be returned with questions of her own. With a sinking feeling, I told myself that it was only fair.

"Two kinds of poison," she greeted in fake disgust. "Remind me again why I said yes."

"Because you're undermining the Courts," I replied evenly. "And we've something you want, I imagine…"

**Stick around for the next chapter to find out what happens when these three troublemakers get together. And, of course, you all know I had to add the prophecy now that I know it. It's just part of my natural writing style. I've never read the novellas, though I should. ~See ya!**


	7. Mourning Kin

**I own none of the original.**

Kierran's POV

Leansidhe let us stay in her manor house. Harmony and I had to share a room, because, as she'd said: "I don't want your toxins spreading!" Of course, it was a bit of an exaggeration, but I was glad for it. I was temporarily freed from my vow since we were no longer in the mortal world, but that did not stop the urge to protect her. Faeries rarely dream, but that night, I did.

_I knew it was a memory before I even opened my eyes. It could not have been one of my youngest memories – I was sure of that. Harmony looked somewhat young herself when she appeared. The crest of the Nightshade family, a legacy gone wrong, hung on one wall. _

"_Covah." She smiled when she reached me. I doubted anyone had ever seen her smile like that. "Did you hear? The war was called off!"_

"_I have heard," I replied almost mechanically, not really _me _talking. "But what of the Summer and Winter Courts? Will there be an Elysium anymore?"_

"_The accords have been signed," she informed, her gaze growing misty. I pressed my palm to her cheek comfortingly. "Everyone else sacrificed themselves to stop the war. We're all that's left," she murmured._

_I pulled her against my chest. "Then we'll be strong, for their sakes." _

Waking from the vision, I heard a muffled scream as Harmony bolted upright. Her eyes were wild, and I knew without asking that she'd had a nightmare. I went over to her side, pulling her to me like I had in my dream. "Kierran," she breathed, burying her face in my chest. It took me a moment to realize she was crying.

"It's okay," I soothed, holding her tightly. The room was shrouded in darkness; suddenly it seemed unwelcoming. I unsheathed my sword, which gave off an unearthly light. Resting it against the sheath, I angled my head on Harmony's. "It was just a nightmare."

"No," she gasped, hiccupping once as she steadied herself. "There's something I haven't been telling you."

_Is it about Covah? _I could not bring myself to ask. Her eyes flashed as if she'd heard my silent question, daring me to say his name aloud. _Covah… havoc. _"Was he your brother?" I ventured quietly.

To my surprise, she nodded, showing no signs of anger. "He was the only one who could keep me sane," she whispered, her gaze distant. "Most times it seemed I got his personality and he got mine… or at least, that's what our mother would say. When we first met Celeste, she joked around about it, too, before realizing how much pain it caused us. Covah was the harmony between us; I was the havoc. It was weird having somebody else recognize that – and I hated every minute of it.

"Every time I got mad, he knew. He would be sure I was perfectly calm before leaving me alone. Sometimes he wouldn't even leave, as if he predicted something else would happen… and most times, something would. I would lose myself to that urge to kill, or I would break down with grief for my family." She drew a shuddering breath. "He was the only one who could help me back into the reality of everything, saying that if I left the past behind, it would let me move forward in return, like it had for him.

"When he died, I was devastated. Ash and Puck both tried to cheer me up – even got Oberon and Titania and Mab to try – but I was too lost. I fled to the Between, where Lea kept me safe until I knew the location of Celeste's new home. Then I went to her. The rest resulted in my own dimension, my partnerships with Celeste, and my casualties across the globe."

Her story fell into silence, one I was not sure how to fill. At last I managed, "I'm sorry."

She laughed, but it was a bitter, hollow sound. "You remind me so much of him, you know. You can calm me down, keep the urges at bay. You even have the same strength and glamour as him." She shook her head and pulled away from me. "If faeries could be reincarnated, I'd almost think you _were_ him," she remarked absently.

_That makes two of us, _I thought, recalling my own dream. "A few days ago I wouldn't have thought it was possible for another fey to have the same glamour as me. Now I'm in the middle of solving the mystery of it." Harmony lifted her semi-dull eyes to meet mine, shining with curiosity. "What if the Nightshades were the first of the Fair Folk to have souls?"

"They would have been born of the respect for the Nevernever and the ideas that first formed science." She caught on quickly. "That would explain how Covah and I have the power of all three Courts! But… the Iron Court didn't exist then."

"The Nightshades still existed. I think it's safe to say they all had that type of glamour." Once I said it, I knew it was true; I smiled.

Harmony was staring at me with a quiet, awed excitement now. _"When something dies, it grows back stronger." _A jolt ran through me when I recognized her family motto, given to them by a Native American Wise Woman. "Covah?" she inquired, testing her brother's name with my existence.

I felt my eyes cloud over. _"I am still Kierran." _I touched her cheek, déjà vu from the vision. _"But I did say I would come back for you, Harmony." _Shaking my head to clear it, I nodded slightly, accepting the new information.

"That explains a lot," she joked, leaning back against me. Instinctively I wrapped my arms around her. "I'm more than just a criminal now. We still have to hide."

"We'll still keep hiding," I replied. "And I'll still keep my promise."

We both fell asleep like that. Harmony had no more nightmares; I slowly gained Covah's memories, as if he wanted me to know how to deal with her even more. For once in my life, I felt like I was home.


	8. Seeing Goodfellow

**I own none of the original series.**

Harmony's POV

"I smell raven." I glanced at Kierran. His eyes narrowed instinctively, his hand already on his sword's hilt. Lea blinked calmly at me. Somewhere a tiger was growling – the closest animal to me, like a wolf to Ash's brother Sage, or a raven to…

Puck.

I glared at Leansidhe. "What did you do?"

A shower of feathers rained down. Puck smirked. "No worries, not-so-Harmony. I have a deal with her: I won't give you two away as long as she doesn't harm me." His eyes gleamed as he took in the prince.

Sighing, I rested my hand on his forearm, which inclined slightly with tensed muscles. "Kierran, meet Robin Goodfellow." My brother relaxed, but not by much.

"You shouldn't have come." Kierran surprised even me by the tone of his voice. Maybe he had something Covah didn't. Probably, he did. "Harmony and I are perfectly fine on our own."

Puck's face said he did not contradict that. "Your mother is worried about you, princeling. And since your father is no longer a prince, you inherit his name." He was not serious, like the last time I had seen him in person.

_Our mother is dead. _The two of us exchanged a glance. Kierran shrugged. "She has no reason to be."

"You disappear into thin air at the same time as Nightshade here. Do you expect her not to be even the slightest bit nervous?" he exclaimed, green eyes flaming. The blaze betrayed his true agitation.

"She would never hurt me." My hand instantly tightened on his arm. His expression nearly rivaled Puck's: a kind of warning calm, foreshadowing a vicious storm. "And I know that for a fact."

Not with the promise, the nightmares, and the recent discovery, I wouldn't! But I would never tell Puck all that.

The Summer jester looked between the two of us, then at Lea, then back at us. "What have I missed here?" Lea merely pointed at us, a clear sign that she had no intentions of revealing our escapade.

I was all too aware of how quickly this could get out of hand. Kierran had newfound skills I did not want him to give away. Puck had experience and deadly precision unlike anything Kierran had seen – unless you counted Covah even further into this mess. Either way, I knew I had to stop them from fighting with each other. I also had to ask Puck some things.

My gaze locked with the prince's. "I need to talk to raven-boy alone. Think that'll be okay?" He nodded tersely and moved away.

Leading Puck down the hall to my room, I ignored the near-lifelike (literally) artwork. When I closed the door behind us, he still had that infuriating half-smile; I was shocked at the rush of anger that flooded through me so swiftly.

"Do you _ever _feel anything?"

Puck shrugged. "Depends. I _felt _love for Ari and Meghan. I _felt _grief when I lost not one friend but two. I _feel _pride in a great prank." His eyes clouded over. "I felt lost when you disappeared," he added, barely audible.

"Why… How are you here?" I pressed on, trying not to let his last comment throw me off. "Shouldn't you be helping Ash comfort Meghan, or–?"

"Believe me. No one knows I'm gone."

I mentally smacked myself. "You used a double to stay with her." What I couldn't figure out was why.

Goodfellow grew unusually serious, his green irises practically glowing in the dim room. The Between never had too much light. "I couldn't lose you again, Nightshade. Not after everything that's happened."

"What?" I asked incredulously, struggling not to gape at him.

"Ever since you lost Covah, you were never the same. But when you ran away again, from Elysium… I don't know. I had this feeling that you would be okay, because I know you can take care of yourself. I also knew there was something weird between you and princeling, so I was wondering if maybe he could make you whole again. You know, more of your old self."

My heart thundered in my chest. He had no clue how close to the truth he was. "But when you said you couldn't lose me again," I began.

He laughed bitterly. "I had already witnessed Ari's so-called death and Ash's vow of vengeance. I didn't want to say goodbye anymore. I still don't." He emitted that noise, the sound without laughter that made me flinch.

"Don't," I mumbled, searching his face for any signs of mischief, anything to stop the onslaught of this faery I hardly knew. I was actually scared to question him further. "What do you mean, you still don't?"

"Why do you think I risked my life coming here? Leansidhe still wants to kill me." He took one step toward me, but no more. A shiver crawled up my spine. "I can't let you leave without me this time. I really, really hope you don't turn out to be like Meghan, blind and _too _independent. I wasn't kidding about Kierran possibly being able to heal you, but I haven't finished trying either."

I had nothing to say to that. Like Meghan? Blind? Of course he already knew I was too independent for my own good, so that part didn't make any sense. The rest of it was crystal clear; suddenly I was truly afraid. Everyone I loved before had been lost. I hardly wanted it to happen again, and now I had both Kierran and Puck who cared about me more than they should. (Kierran was a bit of an exception, though.) As for the Meghan comment, did he still feel even slightly betrayed by her? Too many questions raced through my mind.

My old friend sighed. "I shouldn't have said anything, let alone come here." His enraging smirk appeared, but his green eyes were still shadowed with hurt.

When he turned to head back the way we had come, I was one step ahead, blocking the door with inhuman speed. Puck hardly seemed surprised. "No," I whispered, my gaze ranging over his face, searching, almost pleading.

"No _what_, Nightshade?" he growled.

Something was stabbing a knife into my heart, closing a fist around my throat. "You had every right to come."

"Like that makes things clearer," he snapped. I had no doubts the anger in his voice was real, yet while his expression remained stoic, I could detect the underlying pain he was trying so hard to hide. "Just spit it out. I have other places to be."

"That's a lie and you know it." For once, in the face of fury, my own rage did not rise up in challenge. "If you cared so much about me – and I don't doubt you do – you would've come here regardless."

He didn't conceal his shock fast enough. I folded my arms across my chest, waiting for him to elaborate on anything I supplied. "Did you finally figure it out, not-so-Harmony?" With my old nickname came a wave of relief. He pulled me against his chest.

"I knew it before you did, raven-boy, remember? I'm part of a legacy… or I was, at least." I smiled sadly, feeling his heartbeat under my palm. "All I had to do was get some help remembering it myself."

When we rejoined Leansidhe and Kierran, my heart felt a bit lighter with someone else to help me, but my shoulders were even more weighed than before. I could no longer run away, not with ties to anyone. I was no longer free, which never seemed to occur to the others.

_What will become of me now? _

But then I felt my heart freeze over once more. And I knew exactly what to do. That night, I fled into the Deep Wyld, with the Wolf as my new source of (surprising) protection. The presence of the old Iron King, Machina, was strong, and I used his essence to block the fey from thinking of finding me here. All Nightshades had two animal forms – one mammal, one bird – and I shifted into my tiger. The Wolf was more than accepting toward me.

Best of all, I felt no grief for what I had done.


	9. Heeding Warnings

**Usually I wouldn't update this quickly, but in honor of my birthday I'm going to. As usual, I own none of the original.**

Harmony's POV

The Wolf and I made a good team, yet we had already known that from past hunts. Sometimes a human would find its way into the Deep Wyld; when that happened, we decided it would be best for another human to lure them in. Most times it was a male, and a young girl/woman often made them feel safe. The Wolf closed in then, either killing them outright or knocking them unconscious and leaving them for me. We left the females for some other fey.

"Tigris," he growled during one of our meals.

I followed his gaze, my muzzle dripping with blood. "No."

A raven stared down at me from a Wyld Willow. Its beady green eyes sent a pang through my gut, bringing everything back that I worked so hard to forget. A few weeks had passed since I walked out on them. My spell had faded. I still felt better – safer – here with the Wolf than I did outside the borders.

"Do you want to kill it?"

Now I was glad he'd called me Tigris. Puck did not know me in tiger form, but he only had to guess with scarlet staining my pelt: dried blood from fights that I did not wash out. I slowly shook my head. The Wolf growled.

"I'll give you some time, then. Roar if you need anything."

I refused to shift. Puck cawed softly, and it turned into my name as he alighted on the ground. "Harmony," he repeated, voice and expression filled with anguish.

My only answer was a low growl. "You represent everything I hate," I snarled.

Goodfellow winced as if I'd attacked him. "How can you hate us?" he whispered, eyes pleading.

I bared my teeth before reluctantly morphing. "I'm not capable of love. All that's left in me is hatred."

"I don't believe that, even though what you say has to be true." He moved toward me in an unearthly blur, grabbing my hands and placing them on his chest. His heartbeat thundered under my fingers. "I never thought this would happen again, but it did." My own pulse raced in response as he touched his forehead to mine. "Harmony, I… know you don't want to hear this, but I – I do love you." There was an underlying tremor that I was surprised to hear strengthen the more he spoke.

When I did not reply right away, he sighed. I was ready for him again as he tried to pull away, like I had several weeks ago; I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, half-closing my eyes. "I know. And I love you, too." He bent and pressed a kiss to my lips, hunger and passion and years of uncertainty flowing into the one notion. I pulled back, and he raked a hand through his fiery hair.

"That was…"

"Perfect," I finished for him, mimicking his usual smirk. I suddenly backed away from him, turning tiger and snarling in confusion. Puck watched my retreat with sad eyes. "I can't love anymore. I… You'll die, just like the others. I can't lose anyone else!"

The Wolf understood that and was part of the reason I had fled to the Deep Wyld. Understanding briefly flashed in his eyes. Puck edged closer to me, wary of my unsheathed claws. "I can take care of you if you let me. I'm nearly immortal; it's hard to kill me. Kierran wants to see his charge again, too, since he can't do much without being crazy without you. He's got 'Covah' written all over him." Puck stepped even closer, gaze flicking between my striped face and my coiled muscles.

"Covah died. Kierran might as well be dead. And you…" I lifted my head and sent a quaking roar in the direction the Wolf had gone. He appeared not a second later. "We're going to ask you to leave our territory before we shred you."

Goodfellow took another, more hesitant step toward me. The Wolf and I snarled in warning simultaneously, our hackles rising. I was a lot less confused when I was in animal form, making the kills as I always did. It was one of the few things I actually knew how to do without screwing up. If Puck wanted to ruin it for me, I wouldn't stop from killing him to protect what little life I had left. He might claim he loved me, yet I had no sense of belief inside me anymore.

Dozens of familiar voices suddenly rang in my head, echoing as if coming from a long tunnel. My heart thudded painfully in my chest as grief stripped the beautifully dappled pelt from my skin. I lurched forward, but Puck was there, his eyes still shadowed with that same concern. The Wolf emitted a long, low growl, ears completely flat to his head. My inner torment grew stronger.

"Easy," Goodfellow soothed quietly, angling his head on mine.

The Wolf began to pace beside us. "She's in no condition to run." He sighed. "Both of you, on my back, now. She has to get to the Nightshade manor before her ancestors rain down on her."

Because of my migraine, I did not put much thought into riding on the Wolf's back. I knew Puck probably wanted to fly on his own wings, or at least become a horse and carry me himself, but that would risk me losing consciousness and/or falling off one of them. Then, through my delirium, I realized I owed the Wolf even more.

Under my head somewhere, he barked. "Don't worry, Harmony. I've helped the Nightshades a lot in my life. I never ask for anything because they keep the balance between the Courts most of the time. And they make such great hunting partners." He seemed to chuckle. "You are the best by far."

"Great, now that that's settled, can you run faster?" my friend snapped somewhere behind me.

A snarl rose up in response. The Wolf did feel like that had given him an extra burst of speed, his already fast paws eating up the ground more swiftly. If it wasn't for me, I knew he'd probably buck Goodfellow off, if my friend would even make it this far. His muscles coiled when he lifted his muzzle and howled as he ran. An eagle's cry echoed far in the distance. Some distant part of me knew I should be both happy and scared at the vaguely-familiar voice, yet all I wanted to do was sleep…

The Wolf purposely jolted us. "Stay awake," Puck muttered in my ear. I thought I could detect fear in his tone, but I couldn't be sure.

Something clicked in my mind, as if someone turned a switch. I knew instinctively that we had crossed into Nightshade land. The manor house loomed before us, visible even to my bleary gaze. Kierran stood in the doorway; when he raked a hand through his hair, face betraying all sorts of emotions he usually kept in check, he looked exactly like Covah.

The prince took me from Puck, ignoring the jester's protests and leaving him and the Wolf behind. "You can sleep now, Harmony," he murmured as something soft cushioned my aching body.

Not needing any further encouragement, I sank gratefully into the waiting black void.


	10. Running Home

**I felt like doing two chapters for my three favorite stories today, this being one of them. You know the disclaimer. **

Kierran's POV

"She'll be okay," I announced after working healing charms I didn't even know I knew.

The Wolf snorted and lashed his tail. "Of course she will. These things happen sometimes. One of the Nightshades would lose it and needed to be brought back here before they were destroyed under the weight of the emotions."

"I sent for Celeste to make sure she _stays _okay," I continued with a scowl at the Wolf, even though he just saved my sister. It was weird remembering someone else's life, especially because there was no afterlife for the Fair Folk. Somehow I managed to defy all that. I sighed. "Hopefully she wakes up soon."

Puck looked up for the first time since I joined them. "Can I see her?" I nodded slightly, taken aback by the raw emotions warring in his eyes.

"He's definitely not himself," the Wolf comments, gaze following Goodfellow. "I know he finally found someone to love who loves him back, but still. He changed completely."

I shrugged. "I like that he's not pulling pranks left and right. You're right, though," I added when the Wolf glared at me. "He needs to snap out of this."

"Only Harmony's voice can heal his near-broken heart," a new, familiar voice remarked. Celeste abruptly materialized beside me.

The Wolf's pelt bristled. "I'm going to scout around. If the Courts already looked here, they shouldn't think to come again, yet we can't risk it when she can't fight." He left, a growl trailing in his wake.

Celeste shook her head. "He's seen this before," she informed me. "He knows both outcomes for this kind of thing. It's sad, but she very well could die." Her eyes found the crest of our family. "Such a shame, too. She's the last of her line."

"No," I muttered, "she isn't." I looked away when the prophetess turned a curious gaze on me. This was one thing she was wrong about. I wanted Harmony here when her old partner found out what else we'd discovered.

_She won't die. There's no way she can. It's just that she needs to know she's safe before she can come back. _A shudder passed through my body, and I collapsed on one of the sofas. I was exhausted; sleeping hadn't been kind to me over the past weeks. Everything was finally taking its toll.

"Get some rest, child." Celeste rested a gentle hand on my shoulder, urging me to my feet. "I'll wake you if there's any change."

Nodding wearily, I headed to what used to be Covah's room – mine, in a sense.

Celeste's POV

"Robin Goodfellow," I greeted, walking into Harmony's room. He tightened his grip on her hand, his eyes narrowed. "Long time no see."

"Not long enough," he grumbled, still glaring at me. His protectiveness toward Harmony very nearly rivaled his old defense for Meghan. "Kierran called you here, right?"

I moved to the other side of the bed, knowing I stood no chance of getting him out of here. "Harmony needs me. I am here." I began to work, reinforcing the spell the prince had woven. _Get better while you sleep, old friend, _I thought. _Then you can wake and be with those you love – without fearing their demise. _I knew that, on top of her ancestors coming down so hard on her, she had collapsed under the weight of her own fear: losing Kierran and Puck. It would have been unfair if she lost them so soon after she gained so much.

However, she wouldn't. Her new "family," if she could call it that, was not about to go anywhere. On the other hand, she could die at the hands of the Courts, but I had the distinct feeling Puck and Kierran and even the Wolf would keep her from that fate.

_A double-edged sword, _I mused. _One wrong swipe will ruin it all. _

Nothing was set in stone, but the greater outcome looked as if it was going to be that she would return to her old self, before Covah and the other Nightshades died. She could restore her family's legacy to its former glory and help keep the peace between the Courts.

But first she had to recover herself.


	11. Waking Up

**I own none of the original. **

Puck's POV

Kierran came in almost as soon as he woke up. "Is she…?" He sighed when he saw his sister.

"Celeste couldn't do much more for her," I muttered, not bothering to disguise my grief anymore. Whereas ice-boy had learned to hide his emotions completely, I used pranks and my classic "dancing around the truth" to shield everything. My run-in with Nightshade had changed all that. Even Ash had begun to thaw when he was around Meghan. I guessed love really had a powerful effect after all.

The prince raked a hand through his hair. "I can't imagine the fact she might die. She _can't_."

"That's what she said when Covah died. She didn't want to believe it." I looked at Harmony, remembering everything she'd tried so hard to forget. If she knew what she had now, would that make a difference? "You're a lot like he was. I'm not surprised to find that Covah managed to get a soul before he died. It's like he knew he'd come back."

"He made a promise, right before he left." Kierran sighed again. "He told Harmony that he'd always come back to her."

An unfamiliar presence appeared in the doorway. I stiffened, reaching for the dagger in my boot. "Relax, Robin Goodfellow. I'm here to help our girl." The newcomer walked over to the other side of Harmony. My eyes tracked her every move; I sensed Kierran doing the same but paid him little attention.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Crystal. I'm like Prince Kierran" – she bowed slightly to him – "in the fact that I have a soul and was once a Nightshade."

"The first, to be exact," Celeste informed. Needless to say I didn't feel any better with her here. "She called in a favor with Grimalkin. We'll be able to get Harmony back before the day's over."

I smirked. "Why don't I trust you?" I sneered.

"Enough, Goodfellow. Do you want to help her or not?"

Glaring at Crystal, I squeezed Harmony's lifeless hand before letting go. _I'd do anything for you, not-so-Harmony. Even if it means listening to people I don't trust whatsoever. _"Why'd you call Grim?"

"Because," the feline's voice answered, and suddenly he was at the foot of the bed, "I was looking for two important people. Prince, I think you'll regret the third who decided to tag along just to see you." He sniffed when the Wolf's growl echoed from outside. "Now, that beast should trust them enough to let them through!"

Ash, Glitch, and Meghan entered a minute later. Kierran stiffened beside me. I cast daggers at Celeste and Crystal, wishing I could impale them with real ones. Why would they bring three of the most powerful figures in Faery to a criminal's manor? When she was unconscious, at that!

"Kierran." Meghan had regained her composure since the last time I saw her. Her voice was laced with indifference. "Puck. What a surprise to see you here."

"Um, yeah," I began, "about that…"

"It's not important." Crystal, to my shock, glared at the Iron Queen. "While you're in Nightshade territory, you'll listen to your son. Understood?" Meghan's eyes narrowed, but she nodded. "Kierran, would you please leave? I'll call you back in once we're finished, I assure you."

Celeste and Grimalkin followed them out. Left with sockethead, ice-boy, and someone I barely knew, I felt a rush of protection toward Harmony. "What are you planning on doing?"

"Other than healing her?" Crystal snapped. "Just listen to me, Goodfellow, and you'll have her back soon." She launched into her plan before I could say anything else. Inwardly, I had to admit it was a good idea, one that crossed my mind but I knew I couldn't do much about. This girl, claiming she was once a Nightshade herself, had done something I couldn't. I hated her for it.

Glitch wrapped his Iron glamour around Harmony first. To heal a Nightshade in this position, three faeries from separate Courts had to flood their magic to the injured Nightshade. Ash nodded to me before adding his Winter power. I took a deep breath and called on Summer, binding the spell. Crystal muttered a few words under her breath, her eyes narrowed in concentration. My head was spinning the longer we held it, forcing Summer to join with Winter and Iron. How could the Nightshades have survived like this?

"You can stop," Crystal said at last. "Lieutenant, former prince, thank you on behalf of the Lost Legacy. You each have a favor in return." She flashed her palm when sockethead opened his mouth. "I know very well about faery bargains, Lieutenant. I might not have been a faery for long in mortal years, but you must remember that Ash isn't the only one of the fey to obtain a soul. I have been around longer than you think."

"What about me?" I smirked at her as they left to report to the others. "No favor to give to the prankster?"

Crystal gazed disdainfully at me. "You would've done it on Harmony's behalf anyway. I was helping her, so if you truly want a favor to be called for later on, I suggest you take it up with her." She exited, leaving me and not-so-Harmony alone.

Kierran rushed in. "Did it work?"

"I'm not s–" Harmony coughed, interrupting me.

"Okay, _ow_." She smiled weakly at us, and I felt my resolve to hide emotions crumble once more. "Yeah, it worked. I'm not happy about alerting the Iron Court to our position, though."

The prince's eyes gleamed. "Leave that to me." He bent to hug his sister briefly and then left.

Harmony shook her head. "Hopefully he doesn't erase their memories _too _much. They still have that favor to call in."

"You heard about that?"

"Of course." She smirked. "Why? Do you want something?"

"Nah. I was just messing with Crystal." I reached down and kissed her. She was smiling broadly when I pulled away. "Miss me after all, not-so-Harmony?" I teased.

She shifted on the bed, making room for me to lie beside her. She rested her head on my chest with a sigh. "Unfortunately, yes," she answered. "Celeste made it so that you won't all die on me, though… so I guess I'm okay with it." She grinned mischievously up at me. I hadn't seen her so… carefree… in a while – since before her family disappeared, actually. The unusual brightness in her eyes told me she was thinking the same thing, too.

"Get better soon, not-so-Harmony. I'll be with the others if you need me."

She held me fast. "Where do you think you're going, raven-boy? I don't remember saying you could leave."

"I'll stay," I murmured to her ear, shifting so that both of us were more comfortable. "Rest up, though. You need it." Even though I knew she would try to kill me later for doing it, I used a bit of compulsion to get her to obey. She yawned and closed her eyes, snuggling close to me. Maybe she wouldn't try to kill me, after all.


	12. Fighting Already

**I own none of the original.**

Harmony's POV

The Wolf stalked in, leading a disheveled phouka into the room. Ash jumped to his feet. "Tiaothin! What's happened?" he demanded.

The Winter faery coughed. I heard the blood in it. "Intruders are attacking the Courts," she choked out. "Mab sent me for your assistance, Your Highness." She had a dull gleam to her eyes, the pride in having known Meghan before she was Queen. That was probably the reason Mab sent Tiaothin for help.

"Glitch, go back to the Iron Realm and get everyone willing to fight. Ash and I will meet the monarchs right away." She hesitated and turned to Kierran. "Will you fight with us?"

I rested my hand on his shoulder before he could reply. "We'll be there soon. Go now, and you'll have reinforcements within minutes." I smiled dangerously, my blood singing for battle.

Celeste glared at me once the Iron sidhe had left. "I do not advise you fighting," she said angrily. "You are still sick."

"I can fight." I got up and reached for the claymore my father had once carried into battle. Only in wars did he use his prized possession. I felt the need to be tied to him now, during what would undoubtedly have turned into a war. "Besides, I have my friends to back me up." Puck, Crystal, Kierran, and the Wolf straightened when I mentioned them.

With a grumble, Celeste went back to her home. The Wolf dipped his head to me. "I will bring whatever allies I can from the Deep Wyld. That phouka's scent was riddled with enemies and blood. You'll need all the warriors you can get." I dipped my head in return, and he left.

Kierran eyed me curiously. "Are you sure you can fight?" I swiped at him, getting used to the weight of the blade. He ducked and took his answer. "Sorry I asked."

"Never underestimate her," Puck laughed.

Crystal coughed. "Come on. We are wasting time." She waited for me to lead, and I was glad.

The battlefield was a churning mass of bodies. The gleam of an ice crown, then two and three, darted across the field. Ash's blade swept down in a blue blur, and Puck's daggers shot out. I stood my ground against the lookalikes of Ariella the Winter Queen, Rowan, and Ash the Winter King. Another familiar face joined their line against us, lined with hatred. Robin Goodfellow, the prankster whose jokes had gone awry, stood in front of us. Bile rose in my throat. These were the mirror images I had heard about from their journey to the Testing Grounds at the End of the World. But who had enough power to bring them to life?

_Harmony, _the wind whispered. I left my friends, my feet working on their own accord. Somewhere, the mastermind behind the Lost Legacy's slaughter was hidden. My heart pounded in my chest. I drew the claymore from its sheath on my waist, moving in a deathly blur against so many mirror images of other faeries. Someone had the sick sense to recreate the Nevernever, but they had taken the darkness of it and twisted it into this war.

Tansy raced onto the field beside Tiaothin, defending her. Behind the Summer servant, lines of outcasts plunged into battle. The musical glamour of the Dark Muse rang out.

I halted abruptly and gazed around. Puck's auburn hair caught my attention amidst the battle. This chaos was not caused by me, and for once, I hated the destruction. Kierran, Ash, and Meghan were behind the ranks of Iron knights now, throwing glamour around during the fight. Looking up, I saw Oberon and Titania behind Summer ranks, Mab with Winter. Morphing with a growl as I saw my friend's opponent, I went to Puck and slashed at his would-be assassin. The flint of a steel blade shone in the attacker's hand. I bit it with my strong jaws, snapping it clean in half.

A howl went up, followed by a cacophony of animal sounds. I answered it with a roar. The Wolf was on his way.

Puck gasped for breath. "Nightshade!" he exclaimed, green eyes bright with worry. "No! They want to kill you!"

"So be it," I growled, lunging. I knew this man. He killed my family.

"Traitor!" he hissed, sneering at me. "Of course you would turn against your own creator."

I shifted back, trading my claws for the swords I had trained with many, many times before. I would not make this kill with my father's blade. "You claim you created the first Nightshade, but even she fights against you." I pointed with the tip of my blade toward Crystal. "You murdered your own creations, hypocrite. You have no right to my family name!" My swords became a silvery blur as I attacked again. No one had created Nightshades, except for the first of human calculation and imagination.

When the man was slaughtered, my brain barely registered that he was not the leader in all this. A strangled cry turned my attention back to Puck, and my eyes narrowed to hide my horror.

_This _was the leader, choking Goodfellow. "You have no family, Nightshade, and no one will offer you more ranks once I've dealt with him."

"You're wrong," I retorted, feeling Crystal and Kierran at my back now. "I have all the family I ever need inside and out of the Nevernever. These three are just the closest ones to me, and you know what? I won't let anything take them away!" With a roar, I leaped for him, knocking Puck aside. I was neither faery nor human, neither tiger nor owl. My full Nightshade powers all sprouted around me, making me seem like everything and nothing at once. The leader of the invasion stared at me in horror as a blade/claw/talon dug into his lower abdomen. Its mate plunged into his heart.

"You… cannot… kill me…" he gasped.

I gave a smirk worthy of Puck himself. "I just did."

Speaking of Puck – I whirled to find Kierran helping him off the ground. "Remind me never to piss you off, not-so-Harmony," he coughed, the hint of a real smile on his pain-stricken face. With the leader of the invasion gone, the invaders disbanded, running for their lives. I hoped the evil versions of Rowan, Ari, Ash, and Puck were all dead. The rulers all went to see to their fighters, except Meghan and Ash. They came over to my little group. I slid under Kierran, seeing fresh blood start to well in Puck's wounds, and cradled his head in my lap.

"I don't think I ever saw you so quiet or injured, Puck," Meghan murmured, crouching next to me.

One corner of his mouth twitched. "Not even when I was shot and had to hide in a tree?"

She shook her head gently, bending to kiss his cheek before going to her knights. Ash bowed slightly, to me or to Puck I wasn't sure. Left with Crystal, Kierran, and Goodfellow, I looked up at them.

"We need to get to the manor."

Easing Puck to his feet, I let him use me for support. Kierran offered to help, but I shook my head. Sick or not, this was my job. Pecking Goodfellow's cheek with a bit of soothing glamour in my touch, I felt as well as heard his sigh when pain left his body temporarily, his wounds closing long enough to get him home. "Hang on, raven-boy," I whispered as we crossed the battlefield. Oberon and Titania dipped their heads, and the ranks of Seelie fey bowed. Mab and her Unseelie Court did the same. Ash, Meghan, and Glitch bowed along with the Iron faeries, showing they were tied more closely together than the original two. I closed my eyes when we passed the Wolf and the other Deep Wyld members, Leanansidhe and her outcasts.

Kierran slid his arms around me when Crystal took Puck from me. "There is too much iron in him. He has to become a Nightshade in order to survive," Grimalkin's voice cut into my thoughts.

"How?" I breathed.

My brother held me tighter. "You'll see. Crystal wouldn't let Puck die."


	13. Visiting Memories

**I was going to do this for Halloween, but do you guys know of that big storm heading for the U.S.? Yeah, I'm in one of the states that're supposed to get the worst of it. So I don't know if I'll get a power outage or what. If you're getting hit with Hurricane Sandy, I hope you stay safe, and so does your family. **

**Happy Halloween and Samhain early! I own none of the original.**

Harmony's POV

"Remember Anastasia?"

I looked up in surprise. Prince Sage leaned against the wall of my room, staring out the window. "I thought you were dead?" I blurted, confused.

The late Winter sidhe smiled when he turned to me. "I'm sure you missed me anyway, Song. There are times when the Nevernever brings back its former residents, those that joined it once more. Now is one of those times. It wants to reassure you that everything will be okay again." His green eyes danced with the life of Faery, and my stomach clenched in recognition of my nickname. "You didn't answer my question."

"I remember," I whispered, still trying to process how he was here.

"I loved her," he continued, lowering his voice as his smile faded. "She was my one and only. She was Puck's first, as well. The two of us both protected her, knowing she was in love with her own prince."

"She was the Weapons Master of her kingdom, the prince's and his elite guards' best friend. She fought off the first of the darkness that tainted the world." I took a deep breath when memory threatened to overwhelm me. "She deserved to be happy. She had a complete life when he asked her to be his queen."

Sage smirked hollowly. "I swore to be her knight, but I very nearly failed her. The prince's mother despised her and almost killed her entirely. Only when she released me did I realize why everything was happening as it was – she had a destiny that was beyond me. Her prince actually was part of the prophecy. Goodfellow and I were protectors for as long as she needed us, and we accepted her happiness as our reward for letting her go."

"Why are you telling me this?" I inquired.

His body started to fade. "Because Puck deserves a girl who loves him. He's given up too much." Before he disappeared for good, he added, "You are his perfect match, Song."

"Thank you, Sage," I murmured when he was gone, bowing my head.

Crystal's POV

Puck stared up at me with unfocused eyes. "What exactly do you intend to do?" he rasped, sounding as horrible as he looked.

"Save you," I muttered. "You have to promise me something in exchange, though."

He sucked in a sharp breath that sounded almost like a hiss. "Never," he choked out.

"Would you stop _talking_?" I exclaimed in exasperation. "What if Harmony was risking her life to save you?" That shut him up but received a death glare. "Do you even want to know what I'm asking? _For my life?" _

"You're giving up your life?" he coughed.

I sighed and leaned my head back, rolling my shoulders. "I was never intended to live. The Nevernever willingly gave me a soul just so I could come back to save you. There are meant to be three Nightshades currently, carrying on the Lost Legacy. Now I must return my soul and my body to Faery itself, because I will fulfill my reason for coming back." Every inch of me felt drained. I was using so much time that neither of us really had. Once I was through with him, however, he would be able to stay with Harmony as a full Nightshade (with a twist). "Do you want to know what the vow must be?"

"Yes," he breathed, voice reedy, and nodded instead.

"Promise me that you will take care of Harmony Nightshade, Keeper of the Lost Legacy, an outcast destined to fail unless she remains herself."

"With all those fancy titles?" I shook my head. "I promise to care for Harmony as if her life is my own. When she asks, I will honor any oath she wishes of me, and until I officially am inquired, I promise to act as her knight."

He really went in depth with it; I was impressed. I handed him a thin silver chain with an empty amulet on it. "Wear this at all times. Should you take it off, you forfeit my power, and you will die slowly until you come in contact with it once more." I took a deep breath and gave myself to the world, my essence and glamour flowing directly into the amulet.

I was only barely aware when he strung it around his neck and said, "Thank you." Then I returned to the land itself.


	14. Summoning Courage

**I was going to do this for Halloween, as the last chapter said. I made it a double update just for you guys. **

**Happy Halloween and Samhain early! I own none of the original.**

Puck's POV

"Where is Harmony?" A rush of glamour warned me not to freak out; she was safe.

Grimalkin stretched his jaws in a huge yawn. "She is hunting with Kierran. And she should be back… now."

Nightshade stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me. Kierran pushed her from behind, and I caught the unbalanced girl in my arms. She squeezed me tightly. "Don't do that to me," she nearly growled, but I could tell she was talking around the lump in her throat.

"Do what, not-so-Harmony?"

The cait sith flicked his tail at us. "If you are quite done," he said. I shifted my grip on her and rested my chin on the top of her head from behind. She sighed, leaning into my touch. "Very well, I can see you will be hard to separate. The Royal Council is having a meeting to discuss the battle, whether or not it will create a war. They have lifted Leanansidhe's exile temporarily in order for her to join. I suggest the Lost Legacy be represented, as Crystal gave her life for." My hand found the amulet in an instant.

Harmony twisted her head to look at me. I remembered last minute her bird form was an owl. "Crystal? What did she…?" Her voice trailed off when she saw my fist curled around the charm.

"She's dead," I whispered, hugging her hard with my other arm. "She didn't just give her life, though. I had to promise her something in return."

Grim purred, and I wanted to strangle him. "She knew exactly what she was doing, too. Had it been Harmony herself, I might have mentioned Ariella déjà-vu." Nightshade stiffened against me.

Kierran unhitched himself from the wall. "Enough, cat." His tone was not commanding, but it was enough to raise the hairs along the cait sith's spine. Harmony wrenched away from me and went to him. I felt an undeniable sense of loss. "We should see Mother and Father before this meeting. If Glitch told them anything, I will personally murder him."

"He won't," Harmony assured, making me wonder what happened between them.

"You are too late, nonetheless," Grim stated matter-of-factly. "The meeting has already begun."

When he vanished in true Grimalkin fashion, as Meghan would put it, I felt my muscles coil for battle. Harmony looked over at me. "Puck, you should go ahead," she advised softly. I very nearly turned into a raven then and there and left her to her fate. Then something made her eyes mist over and she shook her head abruptly. "Never mind," she muttered, looking as if someone had punched her in the gut.

"I'll scout ahead if it makes you feel better."

"Oy! You guys should make up your damn minds. Here, I'll do it." I cleared my throat dramatically. "We will go _together_. Happy?"

Harmony stared at me in disbelief; Kierran draped one arm around her shoulders. I wondered what I had gotten myself into. The kind-of-siblings were awfully clingy today. I wished Crystal had thought of that when she did this to me. In fact, I wished _I _had thought of it. Now I was stuck with two mopes. Fun. Oh, and I happened to conveniently forget Grimalkin. How tragic.

"What's that look for?" Nightshade punched my arm lightly to get my attention. I stared at her blankly – how could she tell what I was feeling? I was exceptional at hiding my emotions. She met my gaze steadily. "I can just… _feel _it. I know that you're worrying over something, and I don't know what."

"Maybe it's because you shouldn't," I retorted, pushing the promise for Crystal and the love for Harmony out of my mind. "You know what? I think I'll go by myself. Make a big entrance, the kind I deserve."

When I was a raven, I circled the manor once. "What's gotten into him?" I heard Nightshade ask.

"You will learn," came Grim's disembodied voice. "For now, I guess it is my job to show you to the Council. So… tedious."

I flew ahead, keeping to my word. They could keep secrets all they wanted. I still had a few tricks up my sleeve. I was alive, for once, and two was that I had the glamour of all three courts. Robin Goodfellow was getting bigger and better. I would have smirked at my own wit: _Buy your tickets while you got the chance! It's the show of a lifetime! _Well, the Council had to watch out. Not only were the other representatives back, but now I was one of them.

This would be interesting.


	15. Meeting Council

**Finally I got this out! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. You might not get another update until I go on Christmas break. Just a heads-up. This chapter is where _Iron Outcast_ mixes with **_**The Lost Prince. **_**How many of you have read it?**

Harmony's POV

"Ethan?" I stopped and turned, sensing his presence. "What are you doing here?"

The Iron Queen's brother hesitated, indecision glinting in his eyes. "Hey, tough guy, relax. It's Harmony and Kierran, no one else," his companion – Kenzie? – reminded him calmly.

"Please. I'm not going to hurt someone I tried so hard to help." I rolled my eyes.

Kierran looked between us. "You didn't brainwash me, did you?"

I smiled sheepishly. "Maybe…" He shook his head, smiling slightly. "Come with us to the Council meeting. I might need you." Ethan nodded, dropping his angry guise. He seemed a lot more comfortable than I would have expected, considering everything. "Be warned. Your sister might not be too happy about you showing up."

"She wasn't too happy about my being in the Deep Wyld when you were still gone for those couple weeks. And then afterward when I ran into Kierran." Ethan shrugged it off. "I don't intend on apologizing anytime soon, either. She didn't tell me about my nephew, or that she's married to the person I hate most."

My instincts started shrieking, and I knew Puck had gotten into trouble with Oberon already. "Damn it," I muttered. "Kenzie, have you ever ridden a tiger before?"

"No, w–?" She yelped when, in tiger form, I slid under her and lifted her onto my back.

Without hesitation, Kierran morphed and Ethan jumped onto his back. "Lead the way," Kierran growled, his voice deeper.

Grimalkin leaped gracefully onto my head; I automatically lashed my tail. "You should know the way," the cait sith remarked, sounding calm at having ticked off one of his wild ancestors. The spirit animal I was closest to snarled, but I only lunged forward and raced for the Council meeting. We arrived shortly, and the two humans slipped off our backs.

"Goodfellow, you are a servant of the Seelie Court!" Oberon's voice boomed. Thunder rumbled overhead. I saw Ethan draw Kenzie close out of the corner of my eye.

Kierran stepped up beside me. "What do you want us to do?"

_Covah, _I thought, squeezing my eyes shut. _This was where I lost you. _

"Harmony," the Iron Prince whispered, entwining his fingers with mine. "You don't have to remember those things. They're not going to happen again unless you run away. Puck needs you to fight right now, not dwell in the past."

Reopening my eyes, I gave him a grateful look. "Stay out here for a minute or two. You'll know when I need you." I glared at Grim, who twitched his whiskers.

"Got it." Kierran placed a quick kiss to my forehead. "They won't know what hit them."

Oberon was still yelling at Puck when I sneaked in. Goodfellow just stood there unflinchingly. "Lord Oberon, Puck is no longer a servant of Summer," I stated, stepping from the shadows. My voice held authority, and I felt the presence of my family wreathing around me. The monarchs had no power over me. "He is a member of the Lost Legacy now. He has sworn himself into my service." _Just not as a full knight… yet, _I added silently to remind myself. That had been his promise to Crystal after all.

"What service? You can be destroyed for all that you have done!" Titania exclaimed. The lights flickered.

I stood my ground. Puck took the few steps to my side. "What exactly have I done, Lady Titania?"

"Murdered countless members of all the courts, for one. Took half-breeds and exiles from their homes. Corrupted Prince Kierran and possibly killed him."

"Those half-breeds and exiles were of no concern of the courts, nor were they under Leanansidhe's protection. They are safe in my home. As for the faeries I have killed, they were tormenting humans and fey alike. Think of it as pest control." I took a deep breath and sent a signal to Grim. "Prince Kierran is alive and well, is he not?"

At that moment, he walked in, flanked by Ethan and Kenzie. "Do I look harmed to you?" he challenged.

"Kierran!" Meghan exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Ethan!"

"The real threat is obliterating the mortal world. Soon it will come after the Nevernever. You thought all this time I was a criminal? I have been saving your sorry asses from invasion up until yesterday. I do not deserve to be charged in any way."

Oberon inclined his head. Vines wrapped around me. "Disrespecting those who are of higher power than you," he said.

"No one is of higher power than me!" Ice shards, broken glass, and embers shot out from my body in all directions, slicing the vines. "Lady Mab, what say you?"

"The Nightshade girl has a point," the Winter Queen replied thoughtfully. "She has done no real harm to our courts."

Meghan's glamour swirled around her in a deadly aura. "Why have you brought my son and my brother here with you?" she demanded.

_Aw, the little girl's throwing a tantrum. Poor princess. _I glanced over at my companions. Grimalkin and Kenzie hung back. "The Nightshade family has always had three representatives in the Council. One for each court, even when the Iron Court did not exist." I took another deep breath. "Puck and Kierran are a part of the Nightshade Court now."

"I would do anything for Harmony, as well," Ethan chimed in. "As much as I hate to admit it, she has been my best friend my whole life." He fixed his sister with a piercing glare. "Just like Puck has been for you."

"What of the human girl?" Ash interjected calmly. He was probably the only one, besides Mab, who was still collected and a part of this conversation.

Ethan stiffened. Hatred gleamed in his eyes. I sent a flicker of glamour to block it from the others. "She owes Harmony her life, even though Harmony had been generous enough at the time to not take a favor. She has also gained the Sight thanks to the combined efforts of Leanansidhe, Kierran, and Harmony herself."

"I go where Ethan goes," she added defensively.

Mab narrowed her eyes. "Some love is not for weakness, Queen Mab," Glitch reminded her. Even without their prince – prince_s_, actually – the Iron Court still had more members than Summer and Winter. No wonder my family used to be in charge.

"And this new threat?" the Dark Muse inquired. "Are they the ones who attacked?"

I forced myself not to shudder at her question. Only one of their leaders was dead, and he had nearly taken Goodfellow with him. Quite a few faeries were less fortunate. Ethan and Kenzie exchanged a glance and then looked at me. Kierran gave Lea a scowl before turning to me. Trust shone in his blue eyes. Puck's bright emerald irises reflected the leaves of a certain poisonous plant, but only briefly.

Guess this was my story to tell.


	16. Spilling Lifeblood

**So sorry I took forever to update! I was planning to give you guys another chapter for the holidays, and… well, I got caught up with school. Happy New Year! I still own nothing. Here you go.**

Harmony's POV

"The mortal world is being controlled – slowly – by the ghosts who call themselves the Forgotten." I saw Ash and Puck exchange a look at the same time as Kierran and Ethan. "I know the two Iron Princes have seen the creatures, and I think our esteemed warriors have, as well. Although, perhaps not at the same multitude or strength of my companions."

"The Forgotten are horrible. They suck the glamour out of their victims so quickly, you don't even know what hit you." Puck glanced at me as if in apology.

I dipped my head to him. "Feel free to add, my princes. We have seen the same creatures, fought the same battles."

"If I may," Ash interrupted. "The Forgotten Goodfellow and I saw were barely existent. It took our magic to bring them back. They lived in an abandoned village in the Deep Wyld." His eyes flickered to his son. "Where could you have seen them?"

"Father." Kierran straightened beside me instead of bowing to the higher ranking Knight. "I know how much you and the Iron Queen care about me, but you both have smothered me in my lifetime. Ethan and Harmony are my friends – I would defend either of them, or Kenzie for that matter, until my last breath. The things I have seen at their side are just as incredible and deadly as those of the adventures of the infamous Summer jester and Winter prince long ago. The Forgotten have their own queen, practically their own court."

"They do not need as much glamour as the ones you met originally on your journey. They still feed on it, however, which is why half-breeds and exiles are dropping like flies. Why they come to me and Leanansidhe. It has turned the world back to its feudalism. A home in exchange for labor. I do not know why they are growing so extraordinarily, but it is dangerous," I chimed in.

Puck entwined his fingers with mine. "The ones who attacked us yesterday… have been here before. They knew where to strike and when."

"How?" Mab inquired in a steady voice, emotionless. Titania looked infuriatingly smug. "Do they have spies?"

Ethan stood beside Puck now, while Kenzie moved next to Kierran. "Because they nearly obliterated the Nightshades," Ethan answered.

I flinched immediately. Cursing myself under my breath, I put steel in my veins. "I did kill two of their minor captains," I informed reluctantly. "One, as we know, almost murdered Goodfellow." I spared a look at him when he squeezed my hand.

"They will pay," he murmured. He raised his voice. "This is the second or third time I nearly died at their hands. They almost got Ash once before, too. Even the great Wolf and cat were drained in the village."

_And Ariella, _I discovered when Puck met Ash's gaze. Kierran bristled abruptly, and Glitch left the room without hesitation, Kierran at his side. "Be forewarned," I growled in farewell. "The loss of the last of the Legacy will be the end of the Nevernever as we know it." I whirled on my heel and stalked outside with Ethan on my tail. I wanted to see their "surrender now and stay alive" patrol die – at my own hands.

Kierran's POV

"You're gonna get yourself killed!" I heard Harmony yell to Ethan as one of our opponents gave a battle cry. Guess they were coming out as backup. Knowing either of them as well as I did, however, I knew they would fight more than any alleged backup. I nodded to Glitch, who backed off to guard the entrance to the Council.

Ethan's determined aura betrayed his smirk when he pulled his swords. No wonder he and Harmony were best friends. They were basically the same. "No I'm not. I'm gonna prove myself to the queen who thinks I'm still the four-year-old she had to save."

"Kierran!" Kenzie shouted at the same moment somebody charged at my side. I deflected easily. The human girl ran up to me. "Please, Kierran, I know what you're thinking. Don't do it."

I struck at someone who dared get within range. "Kenzie, you know when you argued with Ethan to gain the Sight? You said you wanted to live and yet it didn't matter that you lost a month to Leanansidhe?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked incredulously.

Just enough time allotted to rest my hand on her shoulder and squeeze, I said, "Well, I won't ever feel alive if I don't fight my own battles." I gave her a little push and shielded her with glamour. "Go back inside. Ethan will kill all of us if you are hurt." She nodded once before complying. I sighed.

Harmony materialized at my side, the light of battle in her eyes. "Trouble in Kenzie-land?" she teased.

My blade slammed into my opponent's. They were losing badly; only Harmony, Ethan, and I were fighting. Only Harmony and Ethan were _really _fighting. I had been too edgy with Kenzie around. She knew my plan, apparently. The one I didn't intend to use just yet, I might add.

"She's safe, which I'm not technically responsible for. My uncle would be devastated, though, you know that."

"Precisely." She darted off. A sudden burst of embers, ice shards, and broken glass shot out of nowhere, killing the patrol members on contact. So much for not murdering them. "Let it be known that I will avenge my family, or I will die trying." Her voice rang out over the clearing, probably echoing in the Council hall. Harmony looked right at me with an expression that froze me to the bone. "This I swear on my own life."

_While we spend time in the mortal world, either I will protect you, _I mused, feeling ancient power flow around me, _or die alongside you. _

Meghan and Ash were going to kill me anyway.


	17. Recurring Argument

**I own nothing. **

Puck's POV

"What were you thinking?" Meghan exclaimed, cornering Kierran the instant the fighters walked back into the Council hall. "This is not your battle to fight!"

"Meghan," I said, interrupting her before she could even start her rant. Her blue eyes were livid when she turned to me. Harmony darted to my side, a welcome presence. "Enough. He's yours and Ash's son; he can handle himself. If you don't believe that yet, I don't know what will convince you."

Ethan stood beside Kierran, immovable. "Meg, you need to see that both of us can hold our own now. We're not the same little kids you had to protect. First off, Kierran _is _your son, which means he's one of the most powerful faeries alive. I'm pretty sure a certain oracle told you that once." She cringed at the mention of the prophecy. "And second, after I was taken to this wretched place the first time, I swore to myself that I would never be that helpless again." He glanced at Kenzie. "At least, not if it was something within my control. I had to grow up living like I'd never had an older sister, topped off with all of my own precautions against this world. And still I ended up meeting the nephew you never told me about, befriending a half-crazed murderess who can control all three types of glamour. You don't need to protect me anymore."

"Honestly, I helped him out of the palace when you basically imprisoned him and Kenzie there. I went to ask Harmony for help, and that's what resulted. She's taught us more than you have, Mother." He glared at the other monarchs. "No matter what you think of Harmony, she hasn't done much wrong. You can play your guessing and tricking games, but I guarantee that Ethan and I can defend her against any of your assumptions." _Wow, thanks for the inclusion, guys,_ I thought.

Next to me, Harmony laced her fingers through mine. "You've done a lot for all of us, Puck," she murmured.

Ash stared between his son and brother-in-law. His silver gaze flicked to me. I met his eyes expressionlessly, green against silver. "Do you really think they can get away with saying they can defend her when you've done your best to protect her all your life?" he inquired, a bit of mischief in his tone.

I broke into my perpetual smirk. "Of course you would think of me, ice-boy."

"What are you? Secret gay lovers?" teased Harmony, helping to lighten the mood in a way only we could.

"Enough." Oberon. Ruining our fun, as usual. "Meghan Chase, if you cannot trust the Iron Princes, you need only send them to the mortal realm for some time. They will not speak out against you again after punishment is dealt." Ethan and Kierran exchanged a shocked glance. Harmony stiffened. "As for Goodfellow and the Nightshade girl–"

"Love you, too, Oberon," she interjected with a sneer.

He went on as if she hadn't spoken. "–they can follow suit."

Glitch stepped forward. "Sockethead, you can sit down. Ever notice this is just for the monarchs?" I informed him, poison dripping in my voice. He never trusted me.

"Lord Oberon," he began respectfully, ignoring me. "Ethan is human, and Kierran has Iron glamour. The mortal world will have no effect on them. Harmony has been living in the mortal world for over a thousand years; she has an immunity to it as well. As far as Robin Goodfellow, he knows his way around the poison of science. In fact, he has been for the past decade or so. What have they even done to instill punishment, anyway?"

"Have fun deciding." Leanansidhe disappeared in a burst of flashing, twinkly lights.

I jerked my chin at Ethan and Kierran. "Let's get out of here." Oberon went to Mab and Titania as they began fighting right on cue. Meghan joined them, apparently offended by something the Seelie Queen said. I locked gazes with Ash again. "Keep us in the loop, okay?"

"Where do you want me to contact you?" he asked, directing the question more toward Harmony. "Your dimension?"

She smiled slightly. "You could call it that. Thanks for this, Ash." She drew her symbol, and a portal opened up. "Go ahead, guys." Kenzie went in first, which meant that Ethan trailed in her wake. Kierran bowed slightly to his father and then went with the two humans. "By the way," she said, holding me in place. "You both know Meghan more than any other. Just remember in the future that Kierran and I know Ethan. If the two of them ever go beyond sibling rivalry and feuds – and I have a feeling they will – we're going to need to work together. Our little group is the only one that knows more about the Forgotten, too. Divisions will mean the end of everything."

"I'll be ready for your call." Ash dipped his head in farewell and then headed over to the arguing monarchs.

Pulling her with me through the trod, I closed it behind us. Kierran, Kenzie, and Ethan had been shown to their rooms by a few of Harmony's servants. I hugged her tightly to my chest and looked into the golden-brown depths. "You have to know I won't let you do this on your own, no matter how strong you are." With a sigh, she closed her eyes.

"I know." She buried her face in my chest. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Puck… but I'm scared."

I brought one hand to cup her face, bringing it back up to mine. "Don't be," I reassured her, pecking her lips.

"Come on," she said, returning to her old self faster than I expected. "While they sleep, we need to do some research on the Forgotten." I summoned vines to wrap around my feet, keeping me locked to the ground. She grinned. "It involves pranking people."

That got my attention. I dissolved the magic. "This is why I love you," I chuckled, following her to the mortal realm.


	18. Announcing Forgotten

**I own nothing.**

Kierran's POV

The instant Puck and Harmony left, I woke up with a start. My instincts to protect her were almost choking me. She went to the mortal world thinking I wouldn't have to keep her safe if I was asleep. Promises didn't work like that. I leaped out of bed, pulled my sword around my waist, and drew her symbol from memory. This was what happened when I lived with her for a week or two.

"Nightshade!" I snapped. She whirled with incredible speed and stared at me in shock. "Did you really think you could leave without my knowing? I made an oath, Harmony, and I intend to keep it."

"Kierran…" Her eyes clouded over. I sighed, the fight draining out of me, and walked over to her. Warily, Puck watched me with narrowed eyes. "I never meant to hurt you," she murmured, wrapping her arms around my waist, careful of the hilt of my sword. "Go back home. I'm not in any danger, and if I am–" She draped a small pendant around my neck with ease. "Use this. I'll send you a warning that should make it throb and begin to glow. Draw the rune I always use, and it'll bring you straight to me." When she pulled back, I met Puck's eyes over her head.

He nodded slightly. "I'll take care of her."

"You had better." My voice deepened to an unearthly tone. _"After all, she is my sister."_

Puck made an impatient noise. "I wouldn't do that to Covah or to Kierran. Trust me, princeling. I'm smarter than Oberon's right hand should be." He smirked as he always did.

When I went back into our dimension, I felt something wreathe around my neck gently. I smiled to myself. "Annwyl," I breathed, pulling open a trod for her. The Summer exile flung herself into my arms; I hugged her thin frame. Knowing how badly the mortal world had affected her, I was hyperaware of how her bones protruded from her skin.

Love shone in her eyes when she drew back. "I missed you, Kierran," she murmured.

"I thought you were taken. Otherwise I wouldn't have given up searching."

"I know." She stood on her toes to kiss me.

Fire lit my blood, and I felt the ice I'd always kept my heart frozen in melt ever so slightly. Unfortunately, a low chuckle interrupted our reunion. I knew that laugh. Turning to Ethan, I raised one eyebrow at him. "Way to give our guest a proper welcome, nephew. Do that often?"

"Your timing amazes me, uncle." I held Annwyl close to me. "Why are you awake? Is something wrong?" Immediately my hand brushed the pendant Harmony had given me. Maybe I could call her home if something was wrong here.

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I would explore a bit." He grinned. "Perhaps you should ask your friend if she needs any rest."

Her cheeks flushed. I snapped my fingers at a passing servant. "Show her to a spare room," I ordered. When they were gone, my hand greeted the hilt of my sword. "Since neither of us can sleep, would you like to practice?" His grin only widened. The hilts of his blades poked over either shoulder. I knew Father would be contacting us soon, and that Puck and Harmony would eventually be back and need to rest as well.

At least, I hoped my alleged sister would rest, for her own sake.

Ethan held his swords low, his stance almost casual. I knew I had faery speed and strength as advantages over him, but I refused to use them. At this point, we needed all the practice we could get, and who knew when we would next have downtime? Minutes into the bout, something stopped me.

"Wait!" I kicked one blade away from myself and held my own sword against his other. The pendant was pulsing with an unearthly force. Ethan gazed at it curiously. I gripped it in pure fear. "Harmony," I rasped. Then my instincts kicked in. "Find Annwyl and bring her to Kenzie. Annwyl can take care of them both if it comes down to it," I informed. "You're coming to help me."

Ethan looked fierce, both for the protection of Kenzie and out of strength for his best friend. "What happened to Puck?" he called over his shoulder as he ran inside.

"I don't know," I yelled back. My muscles sank into the adrenaline rush. "But I have a feeling it involves a few Forgotten."


	19. Persuing War

Kierran's POV

We were on the same street that I had just seen Harmony and Puck on. With time flowing differently, I wondered how long she had needed my help before I received the message. My heart pounded in my chest. If she was hurt…

"Kierran!" a familiar voice hissed from the shadows. Harmony stepped from her glamoured hiding place. "Puck shoved me in here during the fight. They wanted me and they took him instead." Her eyes fell on something I had already glanced at. They narrowed with rage, which poured off her in waves of heat. "No!" she shrieked. "He's supposed to wear that!"

"Calm down." Ethan swiped at empty air. A howl came from it, along with the sound of an invisible body falling. He really knew how to sense faeries even through tough glamour. I was too busy scouring the rest of the street for evidence of which way they went. With Ethan soothing Harmony, I focused my energy into the traces left of the fight.

My eyelids opened with a snap. "Got him."

I could practically see Harmony's tail lashing wrathfully. She shook enough with fury that I was amazed the ground didn't tremble. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a sudden earthquake.

"When I find the idiots who took him, I'm gonna kill them."

"Be careful, though. They wanted Kierran last time, and now they want you. You're both pretty damn powerful." Ethan looked thoughtful. "I'm not saying either of you should stay behind, but you can't go rushing into this. It'll be too risky." He flashed an apologetic smile at Harmony, who clenched her jaw. "We need time to make a plan to get him back. This is the sixth time they've challenged us and taken some of our own. We need backup."

I shook my head. "I know you mean well, Ethan. That's just not going to happen. I've seen what they can do; they did it to Annwyl. Go back and protect Kenzie and Annwyl. Wait for a message from my father." I slid the pendant from around my neck. "Take this, as well. If we need backup, we'll call you."

"Harmony…" Ethan began to protest.

She sighed. "I can't help you here. All I want to do is rush into battle, yet even I know that what Kierran says is a good idea. We have no idea what we're up against. If they want us, let them think they have us." She grinned wickedly. "Then we'll be well on our way before they realize anything has happened."

"See? It's not a bad idea." I matched her grin. Ethan rolled his eyes. "We'll come back in one piece, Ethan. Or at the very least we'll try." I lowered my voice. "Go tell Kenzie that she needs to decide if she wants to go home or not. Once she's sucked into the war, there will be no getting out."

That distracted him from our impending doom. Anything involving Kenzie was top priority to him. I turned to Harmony as soon as he was gone.

"At your command."

She smirked. "I wouldn't expect anything less." Her expression hardened. "Time to go kick some ass. Nobody messes with Nightshade without touching its poison." The smirk was still there, yet it was without mirth. Hatred burned in her eyes instead of the usual teasing warmth.

I realized that if I had gone through with my initial plan, none of this would have happened. And I might not have been worried (maybe even a little scared) of this murderess in front of me. That was the first time I had ever thought of her as a killer – the assassin with the pretty face.

"Covah," she sighed. "I wish you had a chance to really meet him, Kierran. I know he basically lives inside you now, but it would be nice to see him again, you know? My brother… but with your features."

In response I only shrugged. "You can't really change the past, can you?"

"Alright, enough of my self-pity." She shook her head as if to clear it. "It's time for the Forgotten to be reminded of what forces they messed with!" Determination mixed with the hatred in her gaze.

It did not take us long to find the "secret" entrance with Puck's blood leaving a trail in the dirt. Harmony stiffened more the closer we got. She knew that she might find him dead. Crystal's amulet hung around my neck, and I was pumping glamour into it so it would bring him back from the dead again if necessary. If not, it would be a much, much stronger charm. I kept my hand on my hilt, the sword itself still sheathed. Harmony had her blades out as anger radiated off her for anyone to pick up. She was fired up. Looking for a fight was the best way to blow off steam, wasn't it?

A low growl escaped her lips. "Where are they? His blood trail ended a while ago." I saw the flash of sharpened canines; fangs, really, were what they had become.

"Keep in control." I cast out my senses. "He's this way." _With the Forgotten Queen, _was what I left out. "Pace yourself. Lots of guards are there."

"Whatever." She rushed forward, the same recklessness that I had feared breaking through to the surface at last. "I'm not in the mood to play nice."

Harmony covered a lot of distance when she was mad. By the time I caught up by walking, the door was bashed in, streaks of claw marks on the floor and walls, and several things representing where some Forgotten had fallen scattered about. To my surprise, Harmony was being held back by a dozen angry warriors.

"Kierran," the Queen purred. "So nice of you to join us."

"Let her go." My voice was so dark it left no room for argument. "Release Harmony and Puck, and I can forget this ever happened."

The Queen smiled wryly. "Are you sure you want to command me, Iron Prince?"

"Yes, he is. Now listen to him and back off." Suddenly my father was at my side. I wondered how he had known to come until I saw the shadows haunting his eyes. One of Ariella's visions had surpassed death and come to him. Sometimes it happened, but it didn't occur that often.

"Even Ash has joined us." The Queen was too at ease for me. "How touching this is."

Not only were we on a deadline – we had no idea if Puck was okay – but the Forgotten army was, too. If Harmony broke loose, so would chaos. It was her own specialty.

I had to make this quick.


End file.
